The guanaco (Lama Guaniceo) belongs to the camelid family and is native to South America. It is closely related to the lama. According to genetic analyses, the lama descends from the guanaco.
The height of an adult animal measures app. 3 ft 6 in and it weighs about 200 pounds. The colour of its fleece is generally a reddish brown. Its legs, muzzle and stomach are white. They have large, brown eyes, giving them their striking expression. The guanaco is double coated with coarse guard hair and a very soft, fine undercoat. The fibres measure about 18 microns.
Since the guanacos were hunted almost to extinction to obtain their valuable fur, they are now protected by law, which also explains the rarity of this fibre.
App 500'000 animals live in the mountains of Argentina and Chile. Only a few thousand are to be found in Peru. They are very agile and at the same time good swimmers, which allows them to go back and forth between the islands of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
The guanacos live in small groups of ten to twenty individuals with a male leader. Their natural predator are the puma and for young animals the condor. However, the humans still remain their most dangerous enemy.